


Consumed Light

by caffeinelemur



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, But He Gets Better, Gen, Happy halloween, Japanese Zoro, Major Character Injury, Mental Health Issues, No Sex, One Piece Halloween Fic Project, Platonic Relationships, Russian Robin, Sanji is an ass for a while, Who even knows, Zoro-centric, and Vivi and Nami are dating, but Franky has a crush on Robin, first attempt at posting, how does the internet work wow i suck, lots of trauma and bonding, poor Zoro, scary spooky things happen, what am I even doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 09:58:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2543417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caffeinelemur/pseuds/caffeinelemur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone in the hospital knows about the Demon of the Eleventh Floor, and those who don’t know learn quickly. But when Sanji breaks his leg and suddenly has to stay in the infamous Demon’s room due to an overcrowded hospital, he learns that not everything is as it seems. Are They really there, or is his new roommate truly insane? Despite the summary, it is a mainly Zoro-centric fanfic written for the One Piece Halloween Fic Project.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Turning Point

It was a dark and stormy night.

He thought to himself how stupidly cliché that was, but the night was indeed dark and stormy, with strong winds blowing heavy rain sideways and visibility naught. He looked around himself in the darkness, clutching his trench coat closer in a vain attempt to keep warm.

That noise was still behind him.

He shivered, but firmly told himself it was from the weather and _of course_ he wasn’t scared. He hurried across an empty street and hoped he was headed in the right direction.

The noise was growing louder. He flinched as the moaning and pleading grew shriller still, much different than the hoarse whispers of that morning.

He realized he had entered the large construction site by the shoreline, and he knew that his destination was not anywhere near the shore, but the buildings must’ve moved around again and visibility was so poor as it was…

He heard a loud metallic screeching from somewhere above him and as he looked up he met another pair of dark eyes.

He jolted and stumbled backward. The eyes stared at him without blinking. A hand reached toward him−

He ran.

Somehow he ended up on one of the upper stories of the still-unfinished building complex, but he needed to head north anyway, so he should be−

The noise was all around him.

 _They_ were all around him.

Reaching out, touching, it was so cold and there was no escape _Give it to us Light Want Need Give Light…_

He couldn’t feel anything but the hollow cold around him, inside him, and there was a loud series of bangs and all of a sudden he was in incredible pain and the ground was gone and− PAIN NOISE FALLING FALLING−

And still that cold, that empty cold and the voices begging and _pain_ and then−

Nothing.


	2. A Warrior's Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zoro has problems, Sanji is an asshole that fights too much, Robin worries, and Nami gets mad but still worries.

“You know, this is starting to get worrisome, Zoro-kun,” The redheaded nurse said as she looked toward the man on the room’s only bed.

Zoro ignored her as he sometimes did, and continued to stare outside the window beside his bed. His dark eye, the other covered by bandages that were wrapped around his head and the left side of his face, stared stoically out onto the grounds of the hospital.

The nurse behind him sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. _All he ever does is stare out of that window anymore._ She thought to herself, both exasperated and slightly troubled at his lack of response. _I wish he would at least acknowledge my presence when I’m talking to him._

“Zoro-kun, you can’t just sit and stare out the window and ignore everything.” She tried to push. “You have to interact with people! At least try to act like you’re listening.”

But Zoro continued to stare out the window in solemn silence.

The nurse sighed again, shook her head, and turned to leave. “I heard Tony returned last night, so expect to see him at some point soon. Maybe _he_ can get you to talk.”

When the door to his room shut with a softened click, Zoro’s eye finally left the window and landed on the closed door. He stared at it for a minute before lying back on his bed with a careless air, his hands behind his bandaged head.

So Chopper had returned, huh? The corner of his mouth lifted in the slightest grin.

The grandson of the hospital’s head surgeon, Tony T. Chopert, nicknamed Chopper by Zoro, was currently studying for his medical license at the age of sixteen. The tiny, naïve prodigy lived in Canada, but often came by his grandmother’s hospital during breaks to visit and talk to some of the patients. He was one of the only people who actively tried to get Zoro to talk to him, and the only one to get a positive response.

Zoro was thinking about his friend when he heard _It_. The easily recognizable sound of whispering and movement coming from the corner to his left, where he had no vision. This was a single room; he _should_ have been alone.

His tanned complexion paled as he slowly turned his head toward the noise.

A pale woman with long, dark hair stared back at him, eyes dark and ringed with obvious signs of exhaustion and illness. She was wearing the hospital’s white gown, with bare feet. Zoro’s typically expressionless eye widened in abject fear and he started to pull himself slowly away, using the bed as leverage.

Suddenly the woman was right in his face, staring into his single eye, not three inches away. Zoro yelped and toppled off the bed in alarm, pillow and sheets going with him.

He threw his pillow at the woman. “Go away! Achi kaere!” He yelled, “Hottorite kure yo!” _Leave me alone!_

_Light light you can see help me help me_ , the woman was whispering in a throaty desperation, moving closer with her arm outstretched.

“Sawannai de!” _Don’t touch me!_ Zoro panicked and threw his pillow at her, trying to pull himself away from the nearing woman with his other arm.

The pillow went right through her.

Zoro grabbed the nearest objects and threw them with increasing force, but nothing stopped the woman. She grew closer and closer, the bed proving to be no obstacle as she phased right through it, all the time whispering roughly, _body soul light give me give me help give give._

And all Zoro could think about was the feeling of icy contact and suffocation and he couldn’t breathe couldn’t think stop stop go away stop _stop STOP-_

“Damare yo! Chikusho!” _Shut up! Damn it!_ Zoro covered his ears to rid himself of the voice. “Yamero yo!” _Stop it!_

 

Suddenly there was a firm vice on his arm and he started, flinching away from the unexpected contact.

Voices abruptly filtered in, raised in alarm, like turning on a badly tuned radio and adjusting the frequency.

“What’s going on-”

“Get him stable, on the bed-”

“What is he saying?”

“Is the medication not working?”

“We need him calm! Call Dr. Nico!”

The cacophony suddenly sounding in his ears confused Zoro even more and he backed up further into the corner, and where did _She_ go where what _what was happening-_

He heard a familiar voice in the din, felt a gentle touch on his arm and flinched.

“Zoro-kun, please calm down! It is only me, I will not hurt you.”

His eye darted around wildly until it rested on a woman kneeling in front of him, with intelligent blue eyes and dark hair pulled up in an elaborate bun, wearing a white lab coat.

“Robin-sensei?” He hoped it was really Robin, because she always made _Them_ go away, but what if it wasn’t what if it was _a trick_ where did the _Woman_ go- “Nani goto?” _What’s going on?_

“You need to calm down and tell me what you are feeling. In English, Zoro-kun. I will not let anyone hurt you.” The blue-eyed woman smiled gently and he belatedly realized she was touching his arm.

“Robin,” He calmed down slightly, the touch wasn’t icy and petrifying, it was warm, and soothing; it really was her. “Where’d _She_ go?”

“I am afraid I do not know to whom you are referring, Zoro-kun.” Robin said with a worried frown.

“We need to get him off the floor,” A different voice said outside his line of vision and he flinched, having forgotten about all the other people in the room.

“It is alright, Zoro-kun.” Robin soothed. “We need to get you back onto the bed, yes?”

“Robin,” He leaned slightly forward, toward her. He was calming down now that there seemed to be no further sign of the _Woman_. He realized what had happened and felt mortified. How could he have lost control like that? He used to prize himself on his self-control, now look at him. He hated that they had to talk to him as if he were a frightened child, but that’s what he was acting like. And he made Robin have to come and deal with him again. “Sumimasen, Robin-sensei.”

“There is no need for any of that, Zoro-kun. And I told you to call me Robin.” The woman smiled. Zoro looked away, still ashamed of his actions.

These self-depreciative thoughts were going through his head as Robin and a few nurses manhandled him back onto the bed. By the time he realized he’d been moved, Robin was smoothly tucking the sheets back around his waist. He met her gaze with his own, and her face fell a bit when she saw the look of despondent self-loathing in his eye, and she noted with further unhappiness that all the fear had not vanished completely from his gaze.

“We may have to up the dosage of your medication.” She said, more to herself than to him. He turned away, and his gaze was once more locked on the window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why can’t I have a shitty room of my own?” Sanji moaned, leaning on his hand. “I don’t want to share a room with some fucker who has some shitty disease he probably got by not having sufficient hygiene.”

“Sanji, please just shut up and deal with it.” The redheaded nurse said tersely as she wheeled his chair down the hall.

“But Miss Nami-”

“Sanji, the hospital is overcrowded as it is, since you stupidly _broke your own leg in multiple places_ by being an _idiot_ , it’s your _own fault_ , so I repeat, just _shut up and deal with it!_ ” The redhead named Nami finally snapped.

Sanji grumbled to himself but didn’t continue arguing with her.

Nami sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, but there are very few rooms left with less than three people shoved into them, and there are more pressing concerns in this hospital than you and you’re stupidity and your broken leg. So please just be reasonable and try not to be _too_ rude.”

Sanji sighed but relented, staying silent, until he saw a light of illustrious beauty coming from further down the hallway.

“Ah.” The miraculous angel said in a low tone, her voice sounding very melodious and aristocratic with an air of enigmatic charm. “Miss Nami.”

“Dr. Nico,” Nami greeted the woman, who, in Sanji’s lovestruck eyes, was a vision of total radiance with sparkles and rose petals fluttering about, but in reality was an admittedly very attractive woman with striking blue eyes and dark hair up in a bun, wearing a white lab coat.

“I am afraid I have some bad news.” Dr. Nico said, with what Sanji now noticed as the slightest accent, possibly Russian. “There is only one room left with a single occupant.”

Nami groaned. “You don’t mean…”

Dr. Nico inclined her head gravely, putting her sharp features into more focus in the stark hospital lighting. “Indeed. We shall have to put him in with Zoro-kun.”

Nami covered her eyes in abject horror and consternation at the thought.

“Um, excuse me,” Sanji decided to speak up after being smitten and confused simultaneously for several minutes.

“Mm? Ah, yes. You must be the repeat patient Miss Nami keeps telling me about. Mr. Sanji, was it not?” Dr. Nico smiled beatifically at Sanji and offered a slender hand. He shook it slowly, a tad bemused. “My name is Dr. Robin Nico; I am the head of the Psychology Department of the hospital.”

“So, you’re not a medical doctor?” Sanji blurted, and then blushed a tad.

Dr. Nico smiled, “Not in a surgical sense, no. However, I am considered both a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and as such hold a doctorate in psychology and a medical degree. So I do have medical licensure as well as a Ph.D.”

“Ah.” Sanji nodded in awe, “How admirable and ambitious of you!”

“Thank you,” Dr. Nico smiled, and then turned back to Nami. “I would advise not putting him in the room just yet. Zoro-kun had another episode and is wary of strangers at the present, more so than usual. I left to get his medication, but I feel I may have to prescribe a higher dose. For now, he is stable, but is in _that_ mood he gets after an incident, you understand.”

Nami nodded with sad eyes. “I get the picture. Sanji and I can go get something to eat, until he calms down some more. But we can’t put it off forever.”

“Hey, hey, what is going on? Why are we getting shitty food? The hell kind of shitty roommate are you putting me with, eh? Miss Nami! Oi! Answer me, please!” Sanji’s voice grew louder as Nami silently wheeled him away toward the cafeteria.

Dr. Nico knitted her brow in slight worry as they vanished, and continued on her previous course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After they ate, Nami sighed. She finally looked Sanji right in the eyes, or eye, as most of his hair covered the left one.

“Okay.” She sighed.

“You gonna explain now?” Sanji frowned. “Not that you need to of course, as you are such a lovely lady I will always listen to your requests, but I’d appreciate the same in this circumstance.”

“Sorry, Sanji, but this is a really big thing. I can’t tell you everything, and even telling you as much as I plan is a big breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. But if you’re going to deal with him for a while, you need to know.”

“Are you talking about this roommate person again? What’s this guy’s deal, why can’t I go to that room yet? Is he some big important rich guy or something, since apparently he’s being catered to so thoroughly?” Sanji scorned.

“No, nothing like that.” Nami waved her hand as if to shoo away the absurd thought. “The guy’s kind of a jerk sometimes, but he’s got a good heart deep down, and he’s definitely been through hell.”

“Who the hell _is_ this guy?”

“His name is Roronoa Zoro, he’s from Japan. He’s only been in the US for a few years. He’s one of those soft-hearted tough guys, you know? His only real friend around here is the head surgeon’s sixteen-year-old genius grandson, Tony, who in all honesty looks and acts much younger than he is. He acts more like a puppy or something. But anyway, Zoro-kun comes off immediately as an arrogant punk who won’t meet your eyes or speak to you, then if you actually do get him to speak, which is a feat, let me tell you, if he answers in English, he’s a total jackass.” Nami was rather fevered during her rant, but then she sighed and her eyes lowered.

She put her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her folded hands. “He may use that as a shield, I suppose. He’s very wary of strangers, afraid of them really. He seems like such a tough guy, but if you ever see the look he gives if you startle him, it almost breaks your heart. I saw him teaching Tony origami a few times, so I know he’s not as heartless as he tries to seem.”

Nami shook her head and met Sanji’s gaze again. “I’m not sure what his whole story is either, I’m afraid, I am only a nurse, but I can give you a few warnings about what I do know.”

Sanji nodded, curious about this strange man now.

She put up one finger. “First, and this is really important, he don’t _ever_ touch him or surprise him. Try to stay out of his blind spot so he won’t be as startled.”

“Blind spot?”

“He has severe trauma to his head and left eye. It’s heavily bandaged and even if it wasn’t, he couldn’t see out of it.” Nami explained. “He originally came in because of the accident that caused it; it wasn’t until later that he was sent to the psych ward.”

“What kind of accident-” But Nami shook her head.

“Sorry Sanji, you’d have to ask him or Dr. Nico, though I’d advise neither.”

“Anyway,” She held up two fingers then. “Second, he is usually quiet. He likes to stare out of the window for the most part. But if he starts looking at something in the room and you can’t tell what, press the call button. Especially if he starts talking to himself.”

“Is he schizophrenic or something?” Sanji cocked an curly eyebrow.

“Or something.” Nami muttered. “Anyway,” She said in a clearer tone. “Just don’t try to calm him or talk him down without Dr. Nico present.”

“There’s more you will learn on your own. Just if anything happens, make good use of that call button. It’s wired right to Dr. Nico, so she’ll come within the minute.”

“If this guy’s so addled, why are they letting me in there with him?” Sanji asked scathingly.

Nami snapped, suddenly standing and slamming her hands on the table. “He’s not _addled_ , Sanji, he’s hurt and afraid!”

Sanji looked at her, taken aback, eye wide. “Miss Nami…”

Nami sighed again and sat back down slowly. “I’m sorry, Sanji. I shouldn’t have done that. Just… Zoro-kun is a sensitive subject for most of the staff that’s been here the longest. Even if he is a boorish bastard most of the time, he’s still a heavily traumatized victim. And it doesn’t help that he’s actually a decent guy under all of the jerkness. Try not to be a jackass to him all the time, all right, Sanji? He’s going to want to make you angry, rather than get close. It’s purely defensive. He’s isolating himself from perceived threats. But he’s really sensitive.”

“I suppose I understand,” Sanji said. He would follow his lovely Nami’s wishes of course, even with this situation. Plus, he was now interested in learning about this guy. _Roronoa Zoro, was it?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoro was tired. Both physically and emotionally. It seemed a constant state for him anymore. He woke up tired, went through the day tired, took some naps, woke up tired _still_ , and went to bed exhausted, just for it all to repeat again. Just being awake and aware was draining, all of the things he wasn’t supposed to see or hear on the borders of vision and sound, in the back of his head all day, and he had to act like nothing was wrong or else the damn doctors would come and force-feed him pills that made his head feel strange and stick him with _more_ of those damn needles full of bloody horse tranquilizer or _whatever the hell it was._ He couldn’t escape from the stupid damn white room he’d been trapped in for a year and he could _feel_ himself losing muscle mass _every minute_ , unable to keep any kind of workout regimen. The last time he attempted a few sit-ups, just in the bed, Robin had actually yelled at him, which the perpetually unruffled woman _never_ did.

Zoro knew all the doctors thought he was nuts. He was quite aware of his reputation in this stupid hospital: the schizo guy in the psych ward who yells at nothing, the crazy punk who disparages the staff in another language, the Demon of the Eleventh Floor, as they call him when they introduce new staff and volunteers.

He wasn’t crazy.

Well, he figured crazy people would probably not recognize themselves being crazy, either, so his assurance was kind of a moot point, but still. Just because he had a traumatic brain injury and sees things no one else can doesn’t mean he’s mental, right? Though, once again, that sounded unreasonable because a lot of things can happen with brain injury and seeing things no one else can is never considered good or sane. But Zoro knew he wasn’t crazy or hallucinating or whatever the hell the doctors thought he was doing.

He had seen _Them_ before the injury.

He had seen _Them_ back in Japan.

He had seen _Them_ when he was a child, both before and especially after the death of his sister.

He had always seen _Them_.

_They_ got him into so many near-death experiences his body was riddled with scars. He couldn’t tell the difference from _Th_ _em_ and regular people, and as such never knew who was real and who was out to get him. It was a terrifying state to live in, and as such he shied away from people, never trusting fully.

No, the injury didn’t make him this way.

But it did make everything worse.

Now he was vulnerable. In pain, unable to escape, in a building full of death and despair. He was trapped, at the mercy of both _Them_ , and the doctors. Medicine didn’t make _Them_ go away completely, but he found _They_ couldn’t come as often or as close when he was on the pills Robin gave him. That is the only reason he took the damned medicine.

But now it wasn’t working. And he had lost control again and Robin had to intervene. Maybe he really was crazy; by the way he acted he knew why others thought so. He no longer could control the overwhelming fear that crept up on him whenever he saw _Them_.

“Zoro-kun,” A melodic, smooth voice intoned from where he knew the door was. He turned to see Robin smiling at him, holding a bottle of pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

“More pills,” he said tonelessly, both a question and a statement.

“They’re slightly stronger, and if they aren’t enough we can up the dose as well.” Robin walked over to his bedside.

He downed the three pills she handed him, and took a long draught of the water. Robin just sat next to his bed and watched him with an unreadable look on her face.

After a few minutes of silence, she sighed. “Zoro-kun. I have to tell you something I know you won’t be pleased about, but please stay calm and hear me out.”

Zoro nodded warily. What on earth did Robin need to tell him?

“The hospital is very overcrowded what with the incident yesterday and I’ve tried to keep your room a single but there is little I can do at this point.”

Zoro didn’t like the sound of that.


	3. The Crossing of the Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro thinks too much, Sanji flirts too loudly, and both have misgivings about the situation.

  “I have to do _what_ now?” Zoro stared at Robin.

  “It’s only a temporary situation until either after his surgery or when another room clears, but for now we have no choice, Zoro-kun.” The woman explained calmly.

  “Does the idiot know what he’s getting into? Rooming with a nutter?” Zoro muttered scathingly.

  “Zoro, you are not a ‘nutter’ and you _know that_. Do not speak about yourself in that manner.” Robin retorted with a harsh voice that made her accent rougher, forgoing her polite use of an honorific.

  “That’s not what everyone else thinks. Not that I care. I don’t want to live with some strange _baka_ that broke his own leg, who’s going to stare at me all the freaking time. _Kuso_.” Zoro cursed to himself. “If I wanted to get gawked at, I’d have meals in the cafeteria.”

  “Zoro-kun, please be cooperative. I know this is a large mental burden, but it shall not be for long, and you will only have to allow him to be here, you do not need to make friends with him or even so much as meet his eyes, as much as a friend would do you good.” Robin coerced in a soft tone.

  “I don’t see how I have a choice, anyway, so whatever. You do what you want, just like everybody else.” And with that, Zoro turned his back to his Doctor and stared out of the window once more.

  Robin sighed. “I will leave you for now, but you do know we will have to have a session today, after that experience. I will see you later. Mr. Sanji will be coming soon. Miss Nami is bringing him.”

  Having no more to say, Robin left him. Zoro unresponsively stared at the window without really seeing anything.

  He never did well with first meetings, and he didn’t have the slightest hope of this ending well. He was sure, no matter how much of an ass this Sanji character was toward him, Zoro’s own demeanor or actions would instigate any enmity between them, just like always.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As Sanji was wheeled onto the eleventh floor off the elevator, he looked around inquiringly. He’d heard the whispers that followed him, nurses and attendants speaking weakly of the crazed demon that resided there. After Nami’s impassioned explanation, he was a bit more open-minded regarding the guy’s character, but all of the negativity and fear stagnant in the hall was astounding.

  _What on earth did this guy_ do _to these people?_ Sanji thought, bristling slightly at the imagined slights to the female personnel.

 On their way toward the room, they ran into Dr. Nico again.

 “AH~ Dr. Nico! You have gifted me with your radiance twice in one day~ How wonderful~” Sanji trilled, wriggling about in the wheelchair. Nami smacked the back of his head as Dr. Nico chuckled behind a hand.

 “Hello again, Mr. Sanji.” The woman greeted him with an amused smile.

 “Just Sanji, please~” The silly man warbled. Nami snorted.

 “Well then, Sanji, it appears we have met at an appropriate time, as I have just told him you were coming.” Dr. Nico looked to Nami. “He is not in a good mood, as I feared. I am not sure, but I doubt he will attempt any conversation, at least not today. Which may be for the better.”

 “That stubborn fool,” Nami clicked her tongue. “Never lets anything be simple. He’d _better_ be in a good mood before little Tony shows up, or else the poor kid will cry and then we’d have Kureha down on us.”

 “Indeed. But he seems to be in less of a difficult mentality and has more of a disheartened air, if I may say so. I believe he is just insecure about meeting someone new.” Dr. Nico considered, with a hand at her chin.

 Nami sighed. “Well, he’ll have to get used to it.”

 Dr. Nico blew at a strand of raven hair escaping from her loose bun, and then tucked it behind her ear.  “I have to speak to Dr. Trafalgar about _that_ issue, so I shall not be available if anything happens. I will return later today for his session, but let us try not to bother him too much until then, yes?”

 “Alright. I’ll try to monitor. Maybe Tony will come early. That’d boost the idiot’s spirit.” Nami replied monotonously with a wave of her hand and a shrug.

 As the elegant doctor walked past them, Sanji called out to her again. “Farewell, lovely Dr. Nico~ I hope we shall meet again soon~”

 He smiled dopily at the quiet, amused giggle originating from the retreating figure. Nami rolled her eyes at her dumb flirty friend and proceeded onwards.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

  Zoro could hear voices outside his door, and the smooth baritone that was loudly catcalling Zoro’s doctor was vexing him to a hazardous degree. Zoro hated those kinds of people, the sexist ones that heckled rudely at anything they perceived as female, and it seemed he was going to be stuck in a room with one of them. He’d have to withhold some of his more lethal yens gained from a childhood of hardship coupled with sword training. Robin would be very angry if he somehow killed the bastard, and Robin angry is just about the last thing Zoro wanted, so he’d just ignore the guy and try not to inflict irreparable harm.

 Though, from Zoro’s slightly still underdeveloped understanding of the English language, the guy’s flirting was more puerile than injurious, and he’d heard _much_ more damaging words tossed at passing women, but the end result being close enough to the same made the matter of differences in nuance irrelevant. Unless this person proved to him he wasn’t like those sexist pigs he helped defend many women from previously ( _helped_ being the key word, as many of them needed very little assistance in defending themselves, and at most appreciated the thought behind his actions, once they understood he was not chauvinistically protecting a female of the species, but rather defending a fellow human from unwarranted bigotry and prejudice), he was sure this ordeal would end in bloodshed.

 “ _Yakusoku_ , Kuina.” He said quietly. “I promised you many things, some that may never happen now, but I _will_ keep this one.”

_A young girl laughs, then cries._

_“Why couldn’t I have been a boy like you, Zoro?”_

_"YOU ARE MY GOAL!!!”_

_A moonlit night, something he now both loathes and cherishes._

_“Promise me that you won’t be one of those kinds of men, Zoro. Don’t be like them, with their preconceives notions and stereotypes and gender expectation. You know firsthand that not everything can be what is expected by society, little green boy. Promise me you won’t forget that. Because you are so much better than they are,_ baka otouto _.”_

_A promise of action and a promise for the future._

_“You weakling, how do you expect to protect others when you can’t even defeat me? Quit trying to protect everyone when you can’t even protect yourself!”_

_“But you told me to help! I want to help them! It’s not fair to them, so why am I the one who’s in trouble? I just wanted to help…”_

_“Then start by treating them as people with the ability to help themselves.”_

_Sad eyes and a kiss to his forehead._

_“Baka otouto. Worry about yourself, too.”_

_Then tears and fear and loneliness and nothing is ever the same, nothing is ever safe again._

 

 With his eye closed he sees nothing, but if he feels a slight touch on his forehead, almost like lips, and hears a quiet sound, almost like a resonating whisper, he ignores it.

_“You idiot. Quit worrying about everyone else and worry about yourself for once.”_

  _“You stupid, stupid idiot._ Baka otouto _.”_

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Sanji was finally wheeled to the door of his new room. He stared at the oak wood door as if it were something dodgy, and not merely deterring him from encountering the suspicious thing. Nami rapped the door twice with the back of her hand.

 “Zoro-kun, it’s Nami. I’ve got your new roommate. Don’t freak out or do anything I’d need expensive insurance to cover.”

 She opened the door quietly and wheeled Sanji inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a small update, but hopefully the next one will be longer. I will be updating this story when I can, but after the stress of the holidays and my next semester of uni having the maximum of eighteen credit hours, free time is and will be rare and I'll get to writing when I can. I always update my tumblr when I'm working on it though, so if you'd like to keep up with what's going on or ask any questions, you are welcome to check there.


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